Author: Brian Staveley

The Emperor's Blades is one of my most anticipated reads of 2014. It sounds like a promising début: an awesome world populated by people who aren't all white, some sinister sounding magic and politics, and a story following the Emperor's three children after his death.

The title refers not to some mythical weaponry, but the three children whose lives are thrown into turmoil after the sudden death of their father the Emperor. The eldest is Adare, who is perfectly suited to ruling after her father, except that her being a woman stops her from doing so. The heir is Kaden,...